I have some MAJOR concerns about this upcoming draft....

and the status of the team on the whole for the future.

I just cant seem to understand what does it take and how long is it gonna take for this team to at least be decent again. NOT THE BEST , but decently competitive EVERY game. Every year we rarely make any moves, and the ones we DO make dont impress anyone on the team or in the fanbase. And, Im starting to believe that the reason for that is not "Bill Bidwell " type cheapness, but rather because we have no god d*** money because of the decisions the previous regime made. I refuse to believe that we are the worst team in the NFL, and, more importantly, we are so bad that it is threatening our existence and ability to succeed again.

It almost seems as though no want wants to come to the Rams. They dont give us any coverage. It seems like everyone wants to keep the rams down. It might sound strange but its true. That the way I see it. But yet, they would much rather help out a 2 win team or a three or four win team or a perennial choker. I mean it cant be that bad. Why would you rather the Lions than the Rams? You dont want to be on a bad team? But the Lions are bad! SO are the redskins. raiders, browns, chiefs, and buccaneers. It seems like theres a scheme going on to keep the rams WINLESS. I really detest this behaviour from NFL teams. Seriously strange but true ( in my opinion anyway) . WHy else would no one want to come play for us in three years despite us not being the only bad team in the NFL.

To me, there are five things that this team DESPERATELY needs heading into next months draft. Two things REALLY stand out to me right now. I think we have released Atogwe, Little, and Barron. If we release

Barron- who is gonna step up and guard the QB blindside? Jason Smith?
Atogwe- who will help James Butler? Craig Dahl?
Little- since we released our best pass rusher, shouldnt we be thinking DE in rounds 3-4?

Those are just some stuff what come to mind. But here are the five most important needs of this team, in order of importance: -

1) QB- Not so sure what the A.J. Feely signing meant, but we need to have a new face of the franchise moving forward. Either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen Whether it should come from the first pick though is tough to decide on. ( See DT)
2) DT- I think this is another area where we need help because it has been said that we have been drafting DT's for a while now with no success. Well, Carriker was actually a 3-4 end in college, wasnt he? How does THAT lead to success trying to convert to a 4-3 end? its just not that easy ( i think )
3) DE- Leonard Little may not come back, so we need someone to put on the side of long as pass rushing, run stopping bookends on the line.
4) CB- I still feel like our corners are no threat.
5) LB- This unit is very,very thin in terms of depth.

And one more thing to all Ram haters out there ( since like I said there seems to be a hate the RAMS trend out there so this goes out to anyone who falls in that category of spitefulness to the GSOT days) :

If youre a free agent, and you dont wanna play for the Rams or you will not perform because you dont like the team, DONT COME HERE THEN!!! Same for you draftees, too. if your name is Sam Bradford or Ndamakong suh/ gerald mcoy ( or whoever the hell we draft) YOU BETTER F****IN PERFORM MY FRIEND!!! YOU ARE WASTING AWAY PRECIOUS REBUILDING YEARS THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO OUR FUTURE SUCCESS!!! Why?

Because everyone is so HIGH on taking bradford and not suh. Well heres some food for thought. If this guy doesnt perform,THEN WHAT? Would it then be the Rams fault for drafting who EVERYONE ELSE SUGGESTED WE TAKE? ( all the while SUH is ripping it up for another team). or would it be because "our team isnt good enough" I DONT WANNA HEAR ANYMORE EXCUSES.

Re: I have some MAJOR concerns about this upcoming draft....

Originally Posted by rNemesis

Because everyone is so HIGH on taking bradford and not suh. Well heres some food for thought. If this guy doesnt perform,THEN WHAT? Would it then be the Rams fault for drafting who EVERYONE ELSE SUGGESTED WE TAKE? ( all the while SUH is ripping it up for another team). or would it be because "our team isnt good enough" I DONT WANNA HEAR ANYMORE EXCUSES.

WHat if Suh gets a knee injury every year, and Bradford throws 26 Td's and 28 Int's his rookie years and goes to win 4 MVP's

The Rams aren't releasing Atogwe. They are simply trying to motivate him and his agent to work with the team to get a long term deal in place. I doubt they'll let him go absent an off-the-wall deal from some other team.

Little- since we released our best pass rusher, shouldnt we be thinking DE in rounds 3-4?

I don't think Little is still the team's best pass rusher. He's on the downside of his career, while Chris Long is on the way up. But, to answer your question, the Rams definitely need to get a pass rusher or two in the first four rounds.

1) QB- Not so sure what the A.J. Feely signing meant, but we need to have a new face of the franchise moving forward. Either Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen Whether it should come from the first pick though is tough to decide on. ( See DT)

If the Rams take a QB with the first pick, I think its pretty likely it will be Bradford.

2) DT- I think this is another area where we need help because it has been said that we have been drafting DT's for a while now with no success. Well, Carriker was actually a 3-4 end in college, wasnt he? How does THAT lead to success trying to convert to a 4-3 end? its just not that easy ( i think )

Actually, Carriker played end in a 4-3 and a 3-4 in college (Nebraska used both sets). I think with him its been more about health than the position change.

3) DE- Leonard Little may not come back, so we need someone to put on the side of long as pass rushing, run stopping bookends on the line.

Agreed, and I think that can be addressed in the draft.

4) CB- I still feel like our corners are no threat.

It depends. If a healthy Bartell can play like he did in 2008, and Fletcher can come back strong from his injury, the Rams could be okay there.

5) LB- This unit is very,very thin in terms of depth.

No doubt. The good news is that good LBs are often found in the mid to late parts of the draft.

In the end, the Rams won't be able to fill every need. The key is to move forward.

Re: I have some MAJOR concerns about this upcoming draft....

If 2010 had been a capped season, I think the Rams could have been pretty darn good in 2011. With it uncapped and 2011 likely being a lockout season, it'll be pushed back to 2012 or 2013. The inability to utilize the salary cap space they freed up on 5-6 quality free agents this year is going to really hurt their progress. That's not their fault, it's just the way the cookie crumbled.

The Rams need about 10 solid additions. They are:

QB, # 2 RB, TE, WR, OT, DE, DT, WLB, SLB, CB. They'll get 3 of them in this draft and 1-2 in free agency this year. What if one of their many WRs turns into a stud? When they figure out the cap situation next year, the Rams will be in perfect position to spend money on free agents. This is why the Rams aren't going out and signing 30 year old DE's for $10 million per year.